Why Cross-Pressured Voters Are Always Right: Media and Mediators

Cross-pressured voters (CPVs) are a large demographic that usually faces ideological trade-offs when voting. They are either economically leftist and culturally conservative ('left-conservatives') or economically rightist and culturally progressive ('right-progressives'). Despite being ideological opposites, both left-conservatives and right-progressives usually support right-conservative parties. Past research suggests that CPVs are 'persuadable voters', but this is the first study to examine whether media actually influences their voting behaviour. I test whether media exposure alters three 'spatial voting mediators' among CPVs -- their own ideological positions, perceptions of party positions, and salience -- and consequently their voting behaviour. To examine these relationships, I administer a pre-registered survey among British CPVs and integrate panel data from the UK, US, and Germany. The results demonstrate that media exposure influences CPVs considerably by altering spatial voting mediators. The implications of these findings are powerful, shedding light on contemporary electoral shifts, especially in favour of right-conservative parties.